From Drumbeats to Defeat: A Civil War Campaign Story

Led by its regimental band, the 96th Pennsylvania Regiment
is set to march by columns of companies. (1862)

Robert Cruikshank served in Co. H of the 123rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. He survived the struggle and mustered out with his regiment in Washington D.C. on June 8, 1865. During his three years of service, Cruikshank was a prolific correspondent. During his three years of service, Cruikshank was a prolific correspondent, filling his letters to his wife with extraordinary descriptions of everything from mundane camp life to the terror of battle.

In his May 8, 1863 letter about the Chancellorsville Campaign, Cruikshank vividly recounted the experience of a campaign march – from the first sound of the ‘drum choir‘ to the stumbling return of the weary survivors.

I will now give you a detailed account of our march and battle if I am not broken off by having an opportunity to mail this. I have written you that we were under marching orders and supplied with eight days’ rations from April 15th until the 27th, when we broke Camp and started on a march under light marching orders.

The morning of the 26th dawned clear and warm and as the sun arose the roll of drums was heard in every camp. The bugle sound of attention was heard from afar and near. Company officers were calling to their men to fall in. The Colonel and his staff were moving to the right of the parade ground. The men with knapsacks, haversacks, canteens, guns and accoutrements were formed in what had been their company streets. The roll was called.

Each company’s place in the regiment/battalion line of march was determined, not by alphabetical order, but by the date the commanding officer of each company was promoted or given his rank—oldest first.

Company after company filed out and formed in the line of the battalion. Our Company’s place was at the left of the Colors and is called the Color Company. Each company has its place in the battalion from right to left according to the date of rank of the commanding officer of the company.

The Colonel and staff mounted and the Regiment marched away and took its place in the great moving army of men, with cavalry in advance, artillery, ambulances and baggage wagons following.

Below is an Alexander Gardner photo of a Union Army winter camp (1862-1863). The camp is preparing to march, and the wagons in the foreground waiting to pulling in behind the troops.

In the foreground, an ambulance and two covered wagons are ready to fall in behind the column.
   ( Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division )

Cruikshank described the stirring sight of the Army of the Potomac on the move.

With polished barrels and bayonets,
the 9th Vermont Volunteer Infantry Regiment
on the march in1863.
(Their camp in New Bern, N.C., is visible in the distance.

The barrel and bayonet of every gun was polished, I might say burnished, accoutrements were in the best of order, with clothing neat and clean, and as this great army moved away, keeping step, with their guns at right shoulder shift, all in the same position, the movement of the step causing reflection in the sunlight, it was one of the grandest sights ever looked upon. In starting out the men were in the best of spirits, singing and jesting, enjoying the change of being relieved from the monotony of the Camp.

However, nothing is ever easy, and a long march is even worse—especially if orders are ignored.

But as the day advanced it grew warmer and some of the men had not obeyed the order to abandon all unnecessary clothing, to take but one blanket or overcoat and one change of underclothing, they began about noon to throw them away, and the road was covered with them. One could pick up thousands of dollars’ worth of these goods.

But their spirit was strong; the weather was good, and the food was plentiful.

The men were very tired when we camped for the night, within one mile of the Hartwood Church, which looked more like a district school house than a church, as it was about like one of our northern schoolhouses. All was quiet during the night and the men had a good night’s rest. As the night was clear and warm they spread their blankets on the ground and slept without covering. A strong picket line was thrown out but no alarm was given.

The next morning, April 28th, was like the morning before, clear and warm, but the men, having relieved themselves the day before of some of their load, were in good marching order and after having a breakfast of coffee, hardtack and pork, they started on their second day’s march. The roads were good and the men were not hurried and at noon they had plenty of time to cook coffee, pork and hardtack, and take a rest.

The end of Cruikshank’s letter however, describes an entirely different march. Following three days of hard fighting and embarrassing tactical blunders, General Joe Hooker and the Army of the Potomac, crossed back over the Rappahannock River, putting their Chancellorsville debacle, literally and figuratively, behind them.

This is what defeat sounds like.

Tuesday night we built fires and lay down around them until about five o’clock Wednesday morning when we were ordered to get ready to march, and about six o’clock on the morning we were noiselessly marched to the United States Ford and across the Rappahannock on pontoon bridges. About eight o’clock A. M. we took up our line of march for our old Camp at Stafford, not stopping long enough to cook coffee, where we arrived about five o’clock P.M., marching in the rain all day, making a distance of twenty-five miles. We were glad to get into our old quarters and get some rest.

Cruikshank’s ‘noiselessly marched‘ encapsulates the entire attitude of this band of brothers after their fifth attempt to take Richmond failed – near that house – in that clearing – in the middle of the Wilderness.

However, as incongruous as it may sound, Cruikshank found solace in food.

Our cook had got back to Camp some hours before us. The baggage wagons also had arrived. We put the covering on our tent, built a fire in the fireplace to dry it, and had provided a good supper of soft bread, sweet potatoes, beefsteak, coffee and sugar. With the recollections of enjoying these I will close this narrative from, Your affectionate husband, R. Cruikshank.

Cruikshank’s detailed accounts give us a glimpse into the daily struggles and enduring spirit of those who marched, fought, and survived through some of the toughest times in history.

There are millions of stories from the Irrepressible Conflict. This was just one of them.

Mac

Works Cited

[**] The lead photo is an 1862 Mathew Brady photo of the 96th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment @ Camp Northumberland, VA

[1] “Robert Cruikshank Letters (1862-1865)“. eHistory @ The Ohio State University. (#6317 – May 8, 1863). Accessed November 14, 2019. [These family letters are courtesy of Barry Cruikshank.]